Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-05-25

said. II that was SO it would be rather awk-
ward, supposing I were to say yes you
know"
aOf course I am sure" he said, indig-
nantly.
"You see," went on Bessie, poking at the
sod wall with the stick she had in her hand,
"perhaps in this place you might be putting
an exaggerated value on me. You think am
pretty because you see nobody but Kaffir and
Boer women, and it would be the same with
everything. I'm not fit to marry man like
you," she went on, with sudden burst OF
distress; ~ have never seen anything or any
body. am nothing but an ignorant, half
educated farmer girl, with nothing to recon-
mend ME, and no fortune except my looks.
You are different to me; you are nlAa Of
the world. and If ever you went back to Eng.
land should ba a drag on you, and you
would be ashamed of me and my colonial
ways. II 1t had been Jess now, it would have
been different, for she has more brains in her
little finger than have in my whole body"
Somehow the mention Of Jess Jared upon
Johns nerves and chilled him like breath Of
cold wind on hot day. He wanted to put
jess out Of his mind just now. ........
n my dear Bessie, 2 fhes broke In, swhy dc yoa
suppose such thingsl I can assuIe you that
If you appeared in London drawing room
you would put most of the women in it into
the shade Not that there Is much chance Of
my frequenting London drawing rooms
again" he added.
aOh, yes, may be good looking! I don't
say that am not; but can't you understand
don't want you to marry me just because 1
am a pretty woman, as the Kattirs marry
their wives If you marry me at all want
you to marry me because you care for me,
the real me--not my eyes and my hair. Oh,
don't know what to answer you! don't,
indeed" and she began to cry softly.
bessie, dear Bessier' said John, who was
pretty we'll beside himself by this time, "just
tell me honestly-do you care about mea l
am not worth much, know, but II you do,
all this just goes for nothing" and he took
her hand and drew her toward him, so that
she half slipped, half got off the sod wall and
stood face to face with him, for she was tall
woman, and they were very nearly Of a
height.
Twice she raised her beautiful eyes to his to
answer and twice her courage failed her, and
then at last the truth broke from her almost
with q cry:
t'Oh, John, love you with all my heartl"
And now I think that we may drop a veil
over the rest Of these proceedings for there
are some things that should be sacred, even
from the pen Of the historian and the first
transports of the love Of pure woman is one
of them.
Suffice it to say that they sat there side by
side on that sod wall, and were as happy as
people ought to be under such circumstances,
till the glory departed from tho western sky
and the world grew cold and pale, till the
night came down and hid the mountains, and
only the stars and they were left to look out
across the dusky distances of the wilderness
of plain. "
Meanwhile very differentscene was being
enacted up at the house, half a mile away.
Not moro than ten minutes after John and
his lady love had departed on that fateful
walk to look at the young trees, Frank Null
ler's stalwart form, mounted on his great
black horse, was to be seen leisurely advanc-
ing toward the blue gum avenue. Jantje was
lurking about between the stems Of the trees
in the peculiar fashion that is characteristic
of the Hottentot, and which doubtless is bred
into him after tens Of centuries Of tracking
animals and hiding from foes. There he was,
slipping from trunk to trunk and gazing
round him as though be expected each instant
to discover the assegai of an ambushed foe or
to hear the football Of some savage beast Of
prey. There was absolutely no reason why
he should be carrying on in this fashion; he
wa, simply indulging his natural instincts
where he thought nobody would observe him.
life at Mooifontein was altogether too tame
and civilized for Jantjes taste. and he abso-
lutely needed periodical recreations of this sort.
Like civilized child he longed for wild
beasts and enemies, and if there were none
handy he found q reflected satisfaction i'll
making pretense of their presence.
Presently, however, while they were yet
long way or, his quick ear caught the sound
Of the horses footballs, and he Strengthened
himself and listened. Not satisfied with the
results, he laid himself down, put his ear to
the ground and gave gutteral grunt OF sat-
isfaction.